Nightfall
by Lux Tenebris
Summary: Post HBP: Hermione has decided to spend the summer holidays with her muggle parents. One evening Severus Snape, Dumbledore's murderer, shows up in her garden. Hermione realizes that not all is as it seems, decides to help ... and falls in love. Chapter 2!
1. Prologue

_I've always been a fan of HG/SS, but there aren't nearly enough stories of that kind, so I decided to write my own. This is my first HP fanfic, so be gentle._

_Enjoy - and please rate and review!_

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Prologue: The Weight of the World **

_They say that things get better with time, that I'll forget, that I'll be able to enjoy life again, but some wounds never heal. Sometimes the weight of the world is almost too much to bear, _the young woman thought bitterly as she made her way out of the castle, her body hidden under an old, worn cloak. It was late October, and it had been raining heavily for the past couple of days. Half the students were sneezing or blowing their noses. Some claimed that this was the work of the Dark Lord, but she knew better. It was simply the natural order of things. He was not involved in everything. Those superstitious people could not blame him for every little thing that was unpleasant.

_Or_ _maybe the sky is crying for him. He was a good man. He tried to give us an advantage in the war that is to come even if they all think that he was working towards our destruction, that he was in league with the enemy. And I … I loved him, almost more than life itself. They would probably accuse me of being one of them if they found out. They never really knew me. I was never anything but an annoying bookworm to them. They think I'm still mourning Dumbledore's loss. I'm not. I know that his death was inevitable, that it was his wish._

She found the small grove at the edge of the Forbidden Forest where the Aurors had confronted him. They had intended to take him to Askaban to question him, but he had refused. He had remained faithful to the cause. He had given his life to protect them all.

She had been the only one in the entire school to mourn him. They had been lovers for one short summer. Who would have thought that he who thought her annoying and irritating and she who suspected him of practicing the Dark Arts would fall for each other, that he'd become the center of her universe for a while?

_They only see black and white, but things are never that simple. Not all Slytherins are bad and sometimes one must pretend to be something else in order to save a life, sometimes one must make a sacrifice to make things right again._

She had brought a blood red rose, kept fresh with a spell. She knelt down in the mud, not caring whether her skirt got dirty and wet and placed it on the ground where the grass had been burnt. The rose would be her last gift to him, a sign that she would never forget him. „I hope you are at peace wherever you are", she whispered and rose to her feet again. They'd start wondering where she was soon, and at the moment she could not bear the questions that would certainly follow. She did not want to look at them now. She wanted to be left alone.

A pair of green eyes, half hidden under messy black hair watched her as she slipped into the castle again, took the cloak off and hid it. _Where has she been? She doesn't usually sneak around the castle like that. Maybe she has a boyfriend ... maybe he has broken up with her. She has not been herself for a while now. Maybe Malfoy has hexed her … sounds like the ferret to make a Gryffindor unhappy …_

He contemplated confronting her, but then he decided against it. He'd talk to her later, when she was not soaking wet and crying her eyes out. Maybe he'd ask her about it at breakfast, let her sleep a night over it.

* * *

Hermione Granger entered her room and changed into fresh clothes, not knowing that Harry Potter had watched her, not really caring what was happening around her. She lay down on her bed and covered her face with the blanket. She did not want anybody to see her now. She wanted to forget the world around her and pretend that everything was fine. 

She still remembered the day their relationship had become something more, remembered it as clearly as if it had been yesterday. She still remembered when she had first noticed that Severus Snape was a human being.


	2. Chapter 1

_For those of you that are wondering whether this story will have a happy end or not: I have not decided yet! Right now this story could go either way! But aren't sad love stories the best?_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

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**Chapter 1: An Intruder**

_Three months earlier_

Hermione's sixth school year had been hard. Dumbledore had died - no, he had not simply died, he had been murdered by Severus Snape, the head of House Slytherin. Her best friend Harry Potter was considering leaving school in order to hunt for the missing Horcruxes - a plan that she could not possibly support - and the magical world was in uproar. The Weasley's had suggested that she stay with them, and even though she enjoyed their company - and Ron's - she had opted to return to her family's home, to the muggle world instead.

She knew that being friends with the famous Boy Who Lived made her a target as well, and she wanted to be with her parents in those trying times. Who would explain things to them if she wasn't there? Who would help them? Who knew if those Death Eaters, if You Know Who cared about the laws that regulated the use of magic among people like her family? Maybe they'd pay them a visit in order to give Harry a warning. Maybe they'd hurt them.

The Ministry of Magic had promised to pay attention, to even send guards if the situation got any worse to protect the young wizards involved, but she did not trust them. During the past couple of years Harry, Ron and she mostly had to rely on themselves.

They were alone in this.

She was sitting in her room that was filled with books while her mother prepared a dinner to celebrate her return. The shelves that covered the walls contained a mixture of muggle and wizarding topics. There was even a children's book that explained why it was important to brush one's teeth and what happened in a dentist's office. Her parents had given it to her when they had thought that she was like everybody else and would go to university and become a dentist just like them one day.

But books like this one did not hold her attention at the moment. She had filled her desk with books on the history of magic, books on defensive magic, on rare herbs and potions. She had decided that she would dedicate part of this summer ot her research. There had to be a way to ensure their safety and to give Harry an edge in the times that lay ahead. Her parents had given her a computer - with internet access - for her last birthday, and she was finally putting it to good use.

* * *

"Hermione, dinner is ready!" She had just found a most interesting website on dark magic - a thing that she had not really thought existed - wasn't it forbidden? - when her mother called. With a sigh she turned her computer off. She had given her parents some information, as much as she dared, but there was not a doubt in her mind that they would be scared and concerned if they saw that she was reading texts about the most violent of spells. 

"Coming!"

She hurried down the stairs and into the dining room. She could not help but notice how nice and clean everything looked. It wasn't the Great Hall in Hogwarts, there was no ceiling that had been hexed to look like the sky, but it was home, and it was much more comfortable. The chairs with their small cream colored cushions were much better to sit on than the stone benches she had to get used to during the past six years. And no magic food could ever compete with her mother's chicken.

A grim smile crossed her face as she thought of how Malfoy would probably call her a mudblood and make fun of her if he knew.

"What's the matter, dear?" Her mother stood there, a large tray in hand and looked at her. Hermione forced herself to smile. "Nonthing, mum. I was just thinking of a classmate."

"Judging by the look on your face he isn't a friend."

"No, not really. He comes from a wizard family, and all this here would seem very strange to him."

"Oh." Mrs. Granger nodded. „I hope he isn't giving you too many problems."

Hermione swallowed hard and shook her head. „No", she lied. „He usually leaves me alone."

She did not want to ruin this perfect evening with memories of Draco Malfoy and his friends and the way they teased her because she was the best student in her year and without magical parents. And neither did she want to think about the war, her research or Harry's plans!

Determined to enjoy the food she dug into the pile of vegetables that was on her plate with a fork and then cut a piece off the chicken.

Seeing that his daughter was not in the best of moods, Mr. Granger decided to tell a couple of his stories. „Mrs. Smith came to me this morning", he began. „She told me she had lost a tooth. Can you guess what happened?"

Hermione stopped eating and grinned. „I have no idea. Please tell me, dad!"

* * *

Dinner was almost finished as Hermione noticed that somebody was missing, somebody that usually came right away if he smelled chicken. Crookshanks, her cat, seemed to have disappeared. She'd wanted to feed him leftovers. 

„Mum?" she asked and turned to her mother who was about to put the plates away. „Have you seen my cat?"

„He's probably in the garden. I saw him outside just before I served dinner."

Hermione considered that for a moment, then she rose from her chair. „I'll better take a look. This isn't normal for him."

„He's probably met the neighbour's cat. Suzie", Mr. Granger interjected. „The Fleming's bought her a couple of weeks ago."

Hermione made a face. Was her father suggesting something? Crookshanks and Suzie were not snogging, were they?

„I'll go and take a look regardless", she said.

* * *

The sky was darkening rapidly as she left the house, and for a moment she could not help but shiver. Hermione Granger was a logical being. She wasn't as easily scared as some of her classmates. She tried to be reasonable, but sometimes … sometimes her feelings got the better of her. In the end she was a human being despite her intellect, her magic talent and her good marks. 

She tried to be quiet as she walked around the house, past the garage into the garden. There was the apple tree. There were the slide, the treehouse and the small pool where she spent the hot afternoon. Everything seemed to be normal, but she could not shake that strange feeling off. Was there a shadow, moving along the fence?

Were those footsteps she could hear?

A loud meow rang through the garden. Somewhere in the neighbourhood somebody suddenly turned on a light. And then she could hear something behind her, a fraction of a second before somebody pressed a hand against her mouth.

„Be quiet, Miss Granger, be very quiet, and I promise I won't hurt you."


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, and sorry that it took me so long to post the next chapter. I've been busy with school, sick and sick again.

I'm not sure if this chapter is any good or even remotely realistic, so please review!

And I know that the title is silly. I don't exactly have a lot of imagination when it comes to titles!

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**Chapter 2: Return of the Half Blood Prince**

Her heart was beating so hard and fast that it almost seemed to jump out of her chest. She couldn't breathe. She struggled against the man that was holding her – it was a man, judging by his voice – but to no avail. He was stronger than her. She couldn't scream. With one of his hands covering her mouth, all that she could do was mumble and cry softly. She kicked against his legs, but he did not even make a single sound.

"Now, now, Miss Granger, you should know by now that your meagre little tricks and your pleading don't work on me." She recognized the voice now. She was so surprised that she stopped struggling for a second, that she forgot to be afraid. She tried to turn around enough that she could see his face, but with the darkness and the way he held onto her she could not get more than vague glimpses. But the voice was enough.

She raised her hands, took hold of the fingers that were covering her mouth.

"Do you want to tell me that I should let go of you, Miss Granger?" he asked. She nodded. "Very well, but if you scream for your muggle parents …" She shook her head. "Do that again, Miss Granger", he commanded. She shook her head again. He let go of her mouth at once, and she took a deep breath. "Professor Snape!" she exclaimed and abruptly looked towards the windows of her house. Were her parents worried yet? Had they noticed that a stranger was in their garden?

"How? Why?" she stammered, trying to think of something to say. "They said you were on the run from the Ministry. They said you had gone to Romania or Bulgaria to hide. What are you doing here? You … you killed Professor Dumbledore. What are you doing in my garden?" She looked at him, studied him. He was still the same man that had made her Potions classes hell and teased her endlessly. He still wore the same black robe although it was dirty now, still had the same pale face, the same hooked nose and the same black hair. There was still the same mean, slightly arrogant look on his face. Where had he been all the time? How come they had not caught him yet, if he was still in England, if he was so close? Had his death eater friends helped him?

"I didn't do it", he said. Even now he sounded as if he despised her for her muggle background.

"What?" she blurted out, not quite comprehending what he had just said.

"I didn't kill Professor Dumbledore, at least not the way people said it. It was part of the plan. I was against it. I asked Dumbledore to reconsider his options, but he has always been a rather stubborn man. He sacrificed himself."

She stared at him.

"But … if Dumbledore sacrificed himself, if you did it all for us, why are you running from the Ministry? If you talk to them, they'll understand. You can go back to teaching at Hogwarts. You have nothing to fear from anybody." She was talking fast. They situation seemed surreal to her. Professor Snape, murderer (or not), potions master and her least favourite teacher was here, threatening her, but despite that they were having an almost normal conversation. What was going on? Shouldn't she be trembling with fear or think that it was a nightmare?

"Do I?" he asked and smiled a strange little half smile. "Do I really have no reason to fear? I used to be a death eater. I'm not popular with your beloved Ministry. I was Dumbledore's spy. If I go to the Ministry, the result will not be certain, and regardless of how things turn out, if I reveal the truth to anybody, Voldemort and his death eaters will hunt me down and kill me. There are worse things than Azkaban, Miss Granger. Trust me. I know that."

"But … why aren't you in Bulgaria for real then? They'd probably have a hard time finding you there."

"I'm not a coward, Miss Granger. Oh, I know how the students of Hogwarts talk behind my back and spread rumours. Did any of you try to ask me if all those silly accusations were true? You always made assumptions. I'm here because I need your help, Miss Granger, as much as I hate to admit it. You may be an annoying mudblood …" She frowned, and he smiled at her. "… but you are the best student of your year. I need you to work for the Order, against Voldemort." She shivered as she heard the name. "You …"

"I'm saying his name", he confirmed. "I dare to do it. Why turn the Dark Lord into a simple 'You know who'? Why make him less than he is? I apologize for the way I contacted you. I couldn't very well send on owl. I was waiting outside, hoping that you'd leave the house sooner or later. They are monitoring the owls nowadays. I need you to come with me and help me. There may still be hope."

She made a step back. She did not know if she could trust him. They had collected so much evidence against him during the last school year. She had never liked him, and he had never liked her. And the fact that he had entered her home made her uneasy, suspicious.

"Why didn't you ask Harry? Isn't he supposed to be the chosen one? Isn't he supposed to kill Voldemort?"

"The great Harry Potter? Somebody would have noticed. He's being watched, Miss Granger."

She nodded.

"But … what exactly do I have to do? What do you want from me?"

She did not like him, but there was something about the way he talked to her that made her believe him.

"I can't tell you that now, Miss Granger. We have to hurry. I already risked too much by staying here for so long. We'll talk as we move towards out destination.

"I have to talk to my parents."

"No."

His voice was unusually firm, almost angry. She shuddered.

"You must come with me now. You may not even leave a letter behind. Somebody will find it. Your parents will be worried of course, but they'll understand everything when you come back …"

"Don't you want to say, if I come back?"

He did not answer.


End file.
